American Idol: Top 13 take on Michael Jackson

Hello Idol Fanatics! Here we are again. The big stage. Ryan making a grand entrance as prophesied by yours truly (although, I think him flying around the studio on a wire still would've been the way to go!). Oh and remember I talked about HDTVs showing up in the most random of places? How about the STAGE FLOOR?! Ahh good times. So, all of our questions about the top 13 answered very quickly by Simon. It will be a top 11 by the end of Wednesday night! Whew, I don't know if I could take an extra week of Idol this year! Ahhh but then the mysterious TWIST (another one???) was thrown in right at the end of the episode that will include the judges in some way. Guesses? Could this be yet another way for the Idol producers to control who wins the competition? It's getting out of hand isn't it?

Oh well, that's not what we're primarily here to do. We're here to figure out who is going home. It's Michael Jackson night. I've gone on and on about how no one should try to sing Michael Jackson on Idol. It's normally been a disaster. But overall, I was impressed tonight with the performances. It seems like every season, the first week of the Top 12 finals pulls out all of the stops. It always seems like everyone can win (well not EVERYone. There's always some stinkers!) However, once next week rolls around, I think we will all be singing a different tune with which contestants are the pretenders and which are the real deal! Let's figure out which 2 will be going home!

1. Lil Rounds - "The Way You Make Me Feel" - I really need to come up with a good nickname for her. You'd think her name was a good enough nickname as it is. But the LIL just doesn't fit that posterior. I guess we'll call her Sir Mix-A-Lot's Poster Girl. Lady Mix-A-Lot? MISS MIX-A-LOT? Okay, I've probably lost half of my readers by now so let's move on! So we were given more of the sob story of how Lil got impregnated too many times to be able to provide for her family. And then she came out dressed in Memphis's finest and put on a little show for everyone! I don't recall Michael Jackson ever singing the lyric "ain't nobody biznuss" I think there was supposed to be an apostrophe and correct pronunciation in there somewhere...but nooooo LIL Rounds is the second coming of Fantasia folks! It's okay! The judges see no wrong in her! Well, save for Simon. Thankfully he basically called the outfit hideous and said it was a lazy song choice with the 2nd half being better than the 1st. I can agree with that. We all know I'm not a fan, so I'll take any judge's support I can get! That being said, she wasn't awful. It was a good way to start off the show, and she'll definitely be around for awhile. Hey, I hate her, but she CAN sing!
2. Scott MacIntyre - "Keep the Faith" - Nope, not the Bon Jovi song. Nope not even Billy Joel's version with an "ING" at the end of "Keep." No folks, it's Norway's favorite song by Michael Jackson (as Paula let us know Simon stated once on scout's honor!). Yeah, it was a rough song. Scott is all about the inspirational music. And I know I hate the sappy crap. I gave Davey the Artichoke a lot of crap about it last year. But here's the thing. Scott CAN sing these songs. I mean, the guy is legally blind is a brilliant pianist and a decent singer. Let the man do whatever he wants! I'm not so sure he'll make it to the end, but I enjoy watching him do his thing. I can't imagine, he'll get sent packing just yet. He played the piano beautifully tonight. And yeah, Simon did state very bluntly this isn't the show to really show that off. Who cares? Like I said, let the man do his thing. We'll see what else he has. But yeah, after "Mandolin Rain" and "Keep the Faith" maybe something we all know next time?
3. Danny Gokey -"P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" - Well kids, I don't care if he was over-hyped. I'm still a fan of Danny! Maybe I find it a little disturbing that he sang his homework and every other daily chore in the house. But, you know what? I can identify with that. I sang at the lunch table in grade school until my classmates would tell me to shut up (not because I was bad, because I rocked their socks. I just know it!)! So we were both weird! (well...okay, I still am!) Anyways, this is an instance where you can look at a performance from a previous contestant and show how much better Danny is than that guy. Yep, if you know your Idol History, I'm certainly talking about Sideshow Bob (Justin Guarini) and his striptease on the Season 1 stage. Danny's dancing wasn't nearly as bad as Justin's!
   
   And come on? Those vocals were "off da hoooook!!!!!" (sorry Randy, had to borrow that one.) Now, if we're going to go by Paula and you can do your math, she already has Danny and Adam duking it out in the finale. I wouldn't go that far just yet, but Danny still remains a front-runner at this point.
4. Michael Sarver - "You Are Not Alone" - Okay okay, get those images of naked pasty Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley eating apples with little towels wrapped around their privates, out of your mind! (Man, remember that farce? The King of Pop marries the King of Rock's daughter? So bizarre) Instead think of "Free Willy!" Anyway, Mikey took on this ballad from the Pop Master with the fake nose. He was good. The judges pretty much nailed it. He's not the best singer in this competition but people love him and he's good enough to get through. (I think!) Although, some of his phrasings of certain words reminded me a little of Jewel. Like "HUGH ARE NOT ALOOOOOONE" (sing it out loud like that. you'll know what I mean). But I still like the guy. And how can you not feel bad for him that he wants to take care of his 1 daughter and not work on that dangerous oil rig? (yes that's right, he didn't breed a fleet knowing that he couldn't provide for them!!) He won't win, but it's good to have him around for now. Unfortunately, he is who I thought was on deck to go home this week as of last week. So now I need to rethink things!
5. Jasmine Murray - "I'll Be There" - Right on cue Jasmine! Thanks for stepping up for me! Okay, at first listening to this performance, I thought it was kinda decent. Except for those woeful high notes. Ugh.... those were rough. But I also assumed she would be attempting the Mariah Carey version of the song. Which made me think...does she even know who Michael Jackson used to be before the freak show? Was this the only song she recognized because it was more recent? Eh, I guess even Mariah's version isn't THAT recent! Jasmine was probably a year old when it came out! What's my point? Well, it's 2 ballads in a row from her. The judges are calling her old fashioned. She doesn't have a chance to win the competition. And no one voted for her to be there. This may have been her final shot to impress. And on a poll on ew.com most people had her pegged as the first to leave us. I still have to do my math below, but she is a prime candidate for the Wednesday elimination!
6. Kris Allen - "Remember the Time" - Ugh, why are all these people picking songs from the Dangerous album? Kris was another guy I had pegged to leave us quickly. But he does have that adoring female fan base, and he reintroduced us to his guitar this week. And even though you could barely hear it, it made him more comfortable on stage. I would agree with Simon though (even though he said he was joking), they shouldn't have done a story on his wife so early. The girls may start dialing for someone else now! Performance-wise, he did a decent job with it for what it was. I never liked the song. I mean, seriously, Eddie Murphy was in the video. What was that all about? Simon couldn't wait for it to end. He could be a candidate for a bottom 3 nod this week, but I'm not so sure he'll go home yet. I may change my mind by the end of the blog!
7. Allison Iraheta - "Give In To Me" - This tune, I had never heard. Or maybe I just didn't recognize it. Allison, is clearly our resident female rocker this season. And for her age, she continues to impress. I wasn't as impressed as the judges were or even as impressed asI was with her rendition of Heart's "Alone" a couple of weeks ago. But clearly, she remains a force to be reckoned with. I also would like to see more video clips of her performing at that shopping center. That was hysterical!
8. Anoop Desai - "Beat It" - Yikes Anoop. Dude, what are you doing? Okay, so there are unknown songs by Michael Jackson and then there are songs TOO WELL KNOWN by Michael Jackson. Agree totally with the judges. Came off as amateur Karaoke. There isn't even much of a melody to "Beat It" to impress in a singing competition. Simon regrets bringing him back for the 13th spot. This is 3 questionable performances in a row from Anoop. Maybe, he's not really the contestant we thought he was. I just can't see him going home yet either though. This is going to be a tough choice!
9. Jorge Nuñez - "Never Can Say Goodbye" - Am I crazy or am I the only one that thought Jorge did a great job? Sure, it's not the best song. But after he started singing it, I didn't care. That voice is pretty darn good. After he was done performing, I was not prepared for the judges' comments. I guess maybe it was a little corny of a song. But whatever. It's Jorge. The biggest piece of ridiculousness was Paula first asking "what drew you to the song?" and then when Jorge didn't understand the question she decided to use the simpler phrase "what compelled you to make that song choice?" REALLY?!?!?!?!?! He doesn't know DREW but COMPELLED, that will work! So will voters remember Jorge tonight? Time will tell. Maybe someone will bail him out too.
10. Megan Corkrey - "Rockin Robin" - Thanks Megan! Right on cue too! Way to step up with your ultimate cheesiness! I mean come oooonnn!! ROCKIN ROBIN? Of all songs? I mean I get it. Megan is the retro gal this season. She's supposed to take these old songs and use that crazy voice she has. But it just came off as a 60's infomercial or something (did they exist back then?) And was that a flute I kept hearing? Well if it wasn't, there was definitely Megan making bird sounds as her big finale to the song. This was absolutely ridiculous. And I don't care if Paula thinks she will be back (unless she knows something we don't). She shouldn't be.
11. Adam Lambert - "Black and White" - Okay. Adam has an amazing vocal range - proven. Adam is a grand stage performer - proven. Did I miss something? What brought Paula to tears? What declared him the winner? (comparing it to Simon's declaration that Carrie would win the competition in season 4) Was it THAT good? Maybe I was too busy taking notes. Was he in a league of his own? Performance-wise? Sure. He knows how to work the stage. Me, personally? I want less screeching. It's already getting on my nerves. Don't get me wrong. I'll take him over LIL any day of the week. And yeah, Michael Jackson is/was an over the top performer. So Adam, did well to bring his performance to that level. He's no Michael Jackson in his prime up there though! I think I need to see more of Adam before I can get as enthused as our "paid by the producers of the show" judges are. I'm sure I will get there too. But people...patience!!
12. Matt Giraud - "Human Nature" - Finally, Matty gets behind the keys and shows us what he is really about. I loved this performance. And I, in no way, thought that he paled in comparison to Adam as Simon stated. Maybe I just have a soft spot for piano players, considering I am one, but daaang (family blog)...he really brought it tonight. Maybe a little TOO much Timberlake expressions to his performance. But whatever. The question is...will his piano playing every week get old? Will he try to mix it up? For now, that's not a concern. He done good!
13. Alexis Grace - "Dirty Diana" - Convenient song title considering the reason Idol had to go to great lengths to secure an available phone number for contestant #13. Since this is a family blog, I am not going to get into what the traditional number with a 13 at the end will dial! That being said, right off the bat, Alexis either has a big advantage or disadvantage for the night. First of all...the number wasn't shown until after 10:00pm Eastern time. So did DVR viewers miss it? 2nd of all, people not paying attention to Ryan may have just dialed 13 anyway. None of this even gets into the performance though. She was decent. With all of the comparisons to Kelly Clarkson the judges made though, I think I was expecting a lot more. I've always loved that song. Big fan of the BAD album as it was my first compact disc I believe! Simon didn't think it was as good as Alexis may have thought it was. Could be interesting to see what happens Wednesday night with the phone number scandal and the so so comments from the judges.
    

Yikes, so we need a bottom 3 (or will it be a bottom 4?) and then need to get rid of 2. Those new to the blog...this is how I do my process of elimination!

Who are untouchable based on tonight? Danny, Lil, Adam, Matt
Which Fan favorites should stick around? Scott, Allison, Alexis, Kris
Who essentially gave forgettable performances? Jasmine, Anoop
Who gave a memorably awful performance? Megan
Who is out there that I couldn't really categorize? Michael, Jorge

Bottom 3: Jasmine Murray, Megan Corkrey, Anoop Desai (If Bottom 4: Michael Sarver)

Elimination Picks: Jasmine Murray, Megan Corkrey - Jasmine, you've had too many chances to impress and you keep boring us to sleep! Megan, you miss your baby, maybe it's time to go home!

Ugh, this is a tough one. I really don't think 2 girls will be leaving when there are only 5 of 13 to start with. But I couldn't pick between the 2 as they both are out of their league! I think Megan does not belong in this competition, but because it was so memorably bad, she probably has the better chance of sticking around (sympathy vote). But, I really can't see Anoop leaving either. Tough call. And there's always Jorge that maybe others out there were bored with. Oh well, I made my picks, I'll stick with them!

Ahh, but do my picks even matter anymore? What is with this twist that we are going to find out about during the results show? Are the judges going to get to VETO an elimination? If they decide they don't like someone during the remaining 10 weeks, will they replace them with Tatiana? The possibilities are endless! Anyone ever watch that episode of Friends when Joey was going to host a Game Show called BAMBOOZLED?! The rules were incredibly hard to follow but absolutely hysterical. Yep, that's what is happening on Idol these days or they could be just taking tips from the Fonze. I'll reserve my judgement until we find out more!

Kelly Clarkson and Kanye Crappola will perform on the results show. Both probably worth watching, but the latter mainly for laughing! Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and please discuss below your thoughts on the show, the pending twist and picks for the elimination. See you after the results!

This blog can also be read and discussed on Gather.com. Come check it out and throw some votes my way if you have spare time!

American Idol: Top 12 with a Twist!

Well, we made it. That was one weird Wildcard night on Idol. But, essentially the right thing happened in the end. The twist? We ended up with a Top 13. Probably pretty easy to see coming. There will most likely be a double elimination at some point this season. Unless, we're a week earlier than normal with our top 12. (Auditions were a week shorter afterall) Here are our final 4 wild card additions to the Top 13:

Wild Card 4: Megan Corkery, Matt Giraud, Jasmine Murray, Anoop Desai

My best guesses from Wednesday's results show: Matt Giraud, Jasmine Murray, Anoop Desai

The final 4 Judges Picks included my 3 picks, so let's say that I was 11 for 13 this season with my Semi-Finals picks! (Kris Allen and Megan Corkery alluded me, and still do!) Overall not a bad list of singers. We finally weeded out Tatiana Del Toro. I mean seriously, the girl had some issues. I joked on one of the blogs about her possibly singing Whitney Houston again. Who would've thought she would sing the same exact song for the 3rd time?! Finally, Simon called her on it. The kneeling in front of the judges' table was a bit much. Oh well, the semi-finals drama is over, I'm not going to waste another moment discussion that crazy lady! Ladies and gentlemen meet your Top 13!

1. Alexis Grace
2. Michael Sarver
3. Danny Gokey
4. Allison Iraheta
5. Kris Allen
6. Adam Lambert
7. Lil Rounds
8. Scott MacIntyre
9. Jorge Nuñez
10. Jasmine Murray
11. Megan Corkery
12. Matt Giraud
13. Anoop Desai

I don't think any of our wild card winners were showcased brilliantly during these Wild card performances. Jasmine and Matt sounded much better than their previous efforts. But I think they can sound even better with more preparation. I found it odd that when the judges suggested a Rhianna type song, Jasmine chose a Christina Aguiler ballad. But it did showcase her vocal chops. So maybe it was a good strategy. It was good to see Matt doing what he is more comfortable with. It will be even better to see him with a piano! Megan Corkery. Still totally confused about this one. She definitely brought more of the shaking to the stage. And paled in comparison to Katharine McPhee's version of "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree"

The judges insist she is current. I think they're going to be sorely disappointed with her. But whatever, she's an extra to the top 12 as far as I'm concerned! Anoop? Well he repeated a Hollywood week performance with "My Prerogative." It was entertaining, but I really thought he had a better voice than he showcased tonight. I'm still glad he's in!

So, am I ready to declare a winner for the entire show? Not exactly. I can say who WON'T win! That would be Kris Allen, Megan Corkery and Michael Sarver. And my guess would be one of them leaves us next week. The favorites at this point have to go to the most hyped by the producers and judges: Danny Gokey, Adam Lambert and Lil Rounds. Danny, has suffered from much much overhyping. So he's going to have to overcome that. It has become very popular to root AGAINST him now. Adam, well he has an amazing vocal range, but will American tire of the shriekingness of his style or the theatrics he brings to the show? Time will tell. And Lil Rounds, well I've already explained that I can't stand her! But, she still will bring an interesting dynamic to the show and will remain competitive right until the very end.

Dark Horses: Matt Giraud, Scott MacIntyre and Jorge Nuñez. Matt gets back his piano, Scott gets back his piano and already has captured the hearts of America. Jorge? Well, he has also captured the hearts of America and was the first to think in Spanish LIVE on Idol! (ugh Tatiana, why try to ruin his catchphrase!!?!?!) We need more time to see how these 3 will fare down the stretch.

Need to see More: Anoop, Jasmine, Allison - Allison you could argue is already there. But I still throw the AGE Card out there for both her and Jasmine. It's tough to stay relevant week after week at such a young age. And it's rare that it it has ever happened. One person did it, Jordin Sparks. Anoop, I want him to be good but I need to see what he's going to next to be sure!

Who did I forget?: Alexis Grace - well there's always one that just slips my mind. I'm probably still bitter that they tried to compare her to Kelly Clarkson at this stage of the game. Well, we'll see. And on that note.....

Guess who's on the show next week? You guessed it, the original Idol Kelly Clarkson returns to promote her new album ALL I EVER WANTED which drops Tuesday, March 10th. We'll see what her management team has turned her into after the media battle with Clive Davis that destroyed her previous album.

I also thought I heard for some reason that that idiot Kanye West is going to be on the show next week. Please tell me he is not their mentor! Although, if there's one thing I love, it's unintentional comedy. And that guy is the king of it!

Well, I think I'm all out of ramblings for the week. (Surprised?) All-in-all an interesting semi-finals. I'm glad it's over. I'm excited to return to the Top 12 (13) format. The big stage, the obnoxious lighting and TV screens, Ryan's tour of the new set, Ricky Minor and the Band (who finally made an appearance tonight!). It's gonna be a good time! And I'll see you all there next week!


This blog can also be read and discussed on Gather.com. Come check it out and throw some votes my way if you have spare time!

American Idol: 9 are Set, 3 to Go!

Well kids, I hate to brag, but I am on a roll! 2 out of 3 weeks that I did not over think my picks, I got them right. Once again, I know this is not rocket science. But based on my horrendous picks last year (besides picking the ultimate winner, Mr. Cook, early on) I am patting myself on the back! Of the Top 9 we have so far, I have accurately predicted 8. Ladies and Gentlemen, your latest 3:

Group 3 Winners: Lil Rounds, Scott MacIntyre, Jorge Nuñez

My Picks: Lil Rounds, Scott MacIntyre, Jorge Nuñez

Dialidol.com Picks: Lil Rounds, Scott MacIntyre, Ju'Not Joyner

There really didn't seem like any other way to go this week. I am a little upset we won't be seeing any more of Ju'Not, but we'll get to that in a second when we dissect some of the judges' ridiculous picks for the wild card.

First let's discuss some of the other lowlights of the 1 hour results show:

• Well one highlight, we got to hear David Cook's "A Daily AntheM" (M capitalized on purpose!). The bad news? It was to clips of our semi-finalists making it from the auditions to the top 36! But I love that tune!
• And we have the trifecta of bad group medley's. The new Executive Producer is trying to make the show a little younger and hipper. And he does this by turning today's Top 40 songs into High School Musical numbers. This week's victim? Katy Perry's "Hot n' Cold." Never thought I'd see the day when Idol would feature a song with a lyric about "PMS" and have those kiddies sporting smiles like they're singing about milk and cookies!
• My favorite part of Hot n' Cold was when they were breaking up the song and the girls were singing one part and the guys were singing over with another part....I definitely caught Nathaniel Marshall singing the lyric about a "girl changing clothes" and he grabbed his shirt and tilted his head. Wow dude, were you coming out of your skin again there or is there something else you'd like to tell us???!
• They announced Lil first! Wow!!! Well, we know why they didn't wait until the final minute of the show and make us sweat between her and Nathaniel. Because they had to dedicate 20 minutes to announcing the 8 Wild card candidates! Kara promised us that Lil will be around for a long time. Hmmm, does she already know how the show ends? Maybe we should google the script for the season finale!
• When Simon was discussing the point of re-incorporating the wild card he noted that Clay and Jennifer Hudson came out of the wildcard shows. Yeah they did, but Clay still got in with a popular vote on the wildcard show, not a judge's pick! But whatever, the sooner we get the semi-finals over with the better!

Okay, the wild card. Looks like we'll be seeing 8 more performances tomorrow and then some quick picks from the judges. Should be interesting to get all that in an hour! Some of these callbacks were no brainers. Some were obviously a ratings ploy. (The producers love their subplots! I mean seriously? Norman Gentle was there as a possibility? Come on!!!) And then the shockers like not including Ju'Not? Ouch. Here is who we have to pick from. I'll mark in blue who I think should get in based on what we have to choose from:

1. Von Smith - This had to be a joke. I just hope he wears the Ronald McDonald shoes again!
2. Jasmine Murray - I'm not big on having too many youngsters on the show (Allison is 17 also), but she really did pick the wrong song. Let's see how she does Thursday night.
3. Ricky Braddy - Decent singer, needs to be less boring.
4. Megan Corkery - Get ready for some crazy shaking again!
5. Tatianna Del Toro - Definitely a ratings ploy. http://www.votefortheworst.com/ must be having a field day with this announcement. The producers love the awkward exchanges between her and Ryan so they'll keep this going as long as they can. I'm not picking her, but I would not be surprised if the judges do.
6. Matt Giraud - Never can have too many piano men in a competition! But I think he'd bring a different flavor than Scott. And his performance of "Georgia On My Mind" during Hollywood Week should have solidified his position in the top 12.
7. Jesse Langsdon - I liked her last week, but don't know if she can keep it up on a consistent basis. She barely made it to the top 36. So we'll see what she brings tomorrow.
8. Anoop Desai - Come on! It's Anooooop! He has to be in the top 12!

So in one more hour's worth of Idol, we'll have our top 12 folks. Tune in after the show to catch my thoughts on the entire line-up! And then we start the next phase of the competition next week! See you after the Thursday show!

This blog can also be read and discussed on Gather.com. Come check it out and throw some votes my way if you have spare time!

American Idol - Top 36 Group 3

Hello Idol Addicts! One final push this week and we can collectively breath a sigh that the semi-finals are over! I've made it no secret that I'm no fan of this switcheroo back to the semi-finals of old. Our producers seem to have way too much control, and it was yet again on display tonight with the final performance of the night. Tell me, don't you find it a little odd that 3 weeks straight, the final performer of the night will be in the top 12? I'm telling you, this conspiracy is bigger than JFK and WATERGATE! Alas, this is only a TV show. I must say, tonight there seemed to be a few better performances to choose from than week's past. Although, it does seem pretty clear who will be the favorites to get through tomorrow night. Things could get interesting for wildcard night. And I wish for once someone would explain how it's going to work!

But for now, we have some work to do so on with our analysis of tonight's 12. My picks to follow at the bottom!

1. Von Smith - 22 from Greenwood, MO - He can try to lose the name all he wants. But when history looks back at American Idol season 8 and if they even remember ol' Von, he'll be remembered as "The Screamer." Of course, now after tonight's performance he shall be "The Screamer with Ronald McDonald's Shoes." I mean...whaaaat? What on earth was that crazy outfit? The V-Neck with the Suit, and those ruby red Dorothy shoes! His rendition of "You're All I need to Get By" was interesting to say the least. He sang it all in tune. But he seemed too impressed with himself with those high notes. And it's just an annoying voice in my opinion. The judges went easy on him. But do they really think he has a shot? I don't think so. They may try to scare us with a Wildcard night appearance though.
2. Taylor Vaifanua -17 from Hurricane, Utah - Well, now we know why Taylor didn't get much press-time in the earlier rounds. Her performance of Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You" was really "breathy" and she tried to over sing it a bit. The whole thing felt forced. It sounded like a Saturday Night Live character doing an impersonation of someone over singing. Does that make sense? Didn't think so! Well, neither did that performance! Oh, fun thing to note. When Ryan was giving out the phone number for her fans to dial? You know, it ended in 2. So she put both hands up with 2 fingers each and held them together. Um, my dear, that looked like 4!!! So if Arianna Afsar gets in, it's your fault!
3. Alex Wagner-Trugman - 19 from Studio City, CA - Well, our resident fitness champion took a break from muscle beach to bring us a rousing rendition of Sir Elton's "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues." Seriously? He started lifting to get rid of his dorky persona? I felt bad for the guy. I laughed through his entire performance for all fo the wrong reasons. But I think we all did. The theatrics were hysterical. But nothing will surpass the GROWL!!!! I literally screamed out loud when he did it. I couldn't contain myself! And folks, if I can find it on youtube, it might just have to eventually make it's way onto this blog. rooooowl!!!!!!!! And then the Mic Stand fell over (but it soooo looked like it was intentional!) The dude has no shot at all to move on, but man was that entertaining!
4. Arianna Afsar - 17 from San Diego, CA- I'm totally confused by this one. She sang Abba's "The Winner Takes it All" or did she? I couldn't make out a song in any of that performance. Maybe it was the arrangement, but she seemed "off" with the music the entire time. It was pretty boring, uninspiring and well, the judges hated it. I don't see anyone really rallying to her cause!
5. Ju'Not Joyner - 26 from Bowie, Marlyand- A little bit of hypocrisy here with Paula. She told someone earlier that they did the same song in Hollywood week but then complimented Ju'Not for doing the same thing. We heard his spin of the Plain White T's "Hey There Delilah" a few weeks back and enjoyed it then. This was a little more subdued. Apparently he wanted to show respect to the artist and not change the melody up too much. I dunno, he sounded good. His talk about the cortisone shot probably won him some points and showing clips of his kid never hurts either. If anything, he might be back Thursday night for the Wildcard show. I think there was too much talent at the tail end of this night for him to remain in the running. But I like him, for the record!
6. Kristen McNamara - 23 from Napa Valley CA - Well, we've seen quite a bit of drama from Kristen in Hollywood. We've seen some crazy hair style changes. We've seen her butcher Kelly Clarkson (although some would beg to differ including the judges). But this Karaoke host dug up something you might see in Vegas or Simon's favorite "a cruise ship!" If you're gonna do Traci Chapman's "Give Me One Reason" just do it straight up bluesy! Don't turn it into a Disco! Her voice was pretty decent, but the arrangement was a disaster. I think the judges may like her too. I'm really interested to see how Thursday pans out. If they're going to pick one from each semi-final week then it's gonna be tough to figure it out!
7. Nathaniel Marshall - 19 from Malone, NY - I really hope this is the last week we have to see this dude. Ever since we saw his Hollywood soliloquy of how the music "COMES FROM HIS SKIN!!!" people have been forcing their dinner up across America. Well, kids you ain't seen nothin' yet! For his final act, he pulled out all of the stops for the grand workout video that might even get Meatloaf into shape! I'm a little annoyed at Simon and Paula for stealing my thunder on this one. As I was watching I took notes saying how he turned "I Would Do Anything For Love" into a Richard Simmons' video. Darn it all! And a one and a two and a one two three! Move those Hips ladies!!! Man was it bad!! And all of the headband antics and inside jokes with the judges afterwards was a little over the top. I don't think Nathaniel has an ice cube's shot in Hades of making it to the next round (went all Greek Mythology on you for a second!).
8. Felicia Barton - 26 from Virginia Beach, VA - Well Felicia sure looked glad to be there. And she should! She was originally told she was not in the top 36. But then the Joanna Pacitti scandal happened, and she was on the next flight back to L.A. She sang Alicia Keys' "No One" like she was out there with something to prove. (wow, 2 Alicia songs and 2 Elton songs out of 12 total. Crazy!) She did sing it pretty well. I agreed with Simon that it might have been a little "copy-cattish." Again, maybe a wild card, but I think I've already made up my mind on the 3 that get in.
9. Scott MacIntyre - 23 from Scottsdale, AZ - I mean, how can you not like this guy? We all know he doesn't have the perfect voice. But you had to feel for him when all he wanted was his piano. His best alternative was to sing something from a fellow piano guy. I don't know much about Bruce Hornsby's "Mandolin Rain" but I do know that Scotty here loves music. And just like the judges said, you can just feel his enjoyment as he's singing. If the voters are made of stone, then the judges surely will put him in Thursday. But as Simon said, it seems like a foregone conclusion that he's in. Get this man his piano!
10. Kendall Beard - 24 from Lufkin, TX - Well, what do you know? There WAS a Country Girl this season! It was tough not to like her from her interview segment tonight. And tough not to root for her as we now want to see her dad do the alligator dance. Do you smell a BUT coming? Well here it is. BUT!! I don't know if her rendition of Martina's "This One's For the Girl" will be enough to cut it tonight. This would be a case in the past 3 season's top 24's where she'd be safe and moving on to the next week. But when we can only pick 3, she just doesn't quite make the cut. As Simon suggested, there really wasn't much else she could have done better. Maybe they'll want to get a country girl into the competition on wildcard night. But let's be honest. I think American Idol has cornered the Country Market as of late (Carrie, Pickler, Gracin, Bucky, Phil Stacey, etc...). And let's be a little more honest. It only goes downhill after Carrie!
11. Jorge Nuñez - 21 Carolina, Puerto Rico - I am so glad I finally figured out how to type an "ñ" on my computer! Because Jorge just might be sticking around a bit longer. Is there anyone out there that didn't get a little teary-eyed when Jorge was so pleased with the judges' comments that he started crying and "thinking in Spanish?" He sang the heck out of "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" and apparently worked on his dialect. I agree with Simon though. Why would they go to Puerto Rico to find a contestant if they wanted them to sound like they had a Standard American Dialect? I wasn't sure if I was going to like Jorge after his audition. I knew that he sang Jon Secada's "Angel" better than Sergei Federov (I just can't call that crazy dude Anthony!) and I still keep bringing it up because of the anonymous disgruntled reader who apparently was offended. (you just don't know where those Sergei fans are hiding these days!) Anyway, Jorge is growing on me. If the performance alone wasn't enough to get him in, then it was his reactions afterwards that will help seal the deal.
12. Lil Rounds - 24 from Memphis, TN - And then here it was. The moment we were all dreading. We knew she'd be 12th. We knew she would get into the top 12 no matter what. We saw the clips of her being compared to Barftasia and Mary J. Blige. She decided to sing a song by the latter "Be Without You." What we got was a ridiculous clone version of Miss Blige's tune. When I say ridiculous I mean that in 2 ways. I meant that she was really good. But at the same time it was an exact carbon copy! We saw the Judges drinking the Kool-Aid and bobbing their heads along. We saw Kara trying to talk like Lil to show how hip and cool she is. We saw how Lil needs to PROVIDE for her struggling family. Ugh....we saw Fantasia 2.0. I was no fan of it the first time around, and it ain't gonna change this time around. Lil Rounds is officially my enemy! And just like I successfully convinced America that David Archuleta was not fit for the Idol crown, I accept the challenge to start my campaign to do the same for LIL! Even though, yes Paula, we will see her for "many 'lil rounds' to come." See my eyes folks? Watch them rooooooollllllllllll!!!!!!!!! (whoops, just thought of Alex Wagner-Trugman again!)

Oh and of course after all of the Judges' praise for Lil, it only egged her on to start her Grammy Thank You's a bit too prematurely. That has to be enough to turn anyone off! But, I've got plenty of time to get back on that soapbox. I gotta dish out some picks! This one is easy to me, which means I've probably got it all wrong!

Top Female Vote: Lil Rounds
Top Male Vote: Scott MacIntyre
Next Top Vote Getter: Jorge Nuñez

Bonus Picks: Ju'Not Joyner, Kendall Beard Long Shot: Felicia Barton

The bonus picks are for my sanity only. I never take credit for getting it right if they're picked! Anyway, here's my first stab at the Wildcard. I will revisit this tomorrow if they give us more information. But if they take one from each week. Here are my picks:

Week 1 - Anoooooooop Desai
Week 2 - Matt Giraud
Week 3 - Kendall Beard

I would've went for Ju'Not for week 3 but that is one Male-Dominated top 12! I don't know if they'd do that or not. Maybe Jasmine Murray gets a 2nd shot over Matt. Maybe Jackie Tohn gets in over Anoop (really??? naaaa). Or maybe it won't be one per week! There has to be some kind of performance Thursday for them to make a final decision. Oh well, I made my early picks and we'll get more information after Wednesday Night's show.

In the meantime, hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always and I'll see you after the results!

This blog can also be read and discussed on Gather.com. Come check it out and throw some votes my way if you have spare time!